1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic wave generating apparatus for preventing scale from being produced in a pipe and removing the same from the pipe, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic wave generating apparatus for preventing scale from being produced in a pipe and removing the same from the pipe, which is implemented so as to be controlled by a microcomputer, to thereby increase the number of transducer channels for preventing scale from being produced in the pipe and removing the same from the pipe at an explosion-preventive area and in a general facility, and to thus heighten an economic efficiency, and which is designed to be able to be used at higher voltage and higher frequency and to be operated more stably.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional scale preventing apparatus will be described below.
The Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-0052523 (whose Korean Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-2006-132268 on Dec. 21, 2006) entitled “An ultrasonic wave generating apparatus for preventing scale form being produced and removing the scale” was filed by a Korean company (Morko Co., Ltd) on Jun. 17, 2005. The scale prevention and removal ultrasonic wave generating apparatus includes a main body having an electric power supply that supplies electric voltage necessary for generation of ultrasonic waves, a resonance unit that makes transducers connected with a facility and a device generate ultrasonic waves, based on the received electric power source, and a controller that controls an operating condition of the resonance unit, in which the transducers generates ultrasonic waves by the electric voltage and an ultrasonic signal that are applied from the main body. Here, the main body and the transducers are configured to be at a given distance from each other and to be coupled with each other by electric cable.
The electric power supply included in the main body includes: an electric switch for applying electric voltage to the main body; a fuse that interrupts electric voltage from being applied to the main body, when overload or electric leakage happens due to abnormal service voltage; a magnetic switch that is operated by the applied electric voltage, to thus drive a cooling fan that cools heat generated in the main body; a fitter that filtrates noise of the applied electric voltage; and a voltage transformation circuit portion that stably supplies the electric voltage supplied by turning the electric switch on, for both the controller and the resonance unit.
The resonance unit included in the main body includes: a resonance circuit having a diode, a polar capacitor, a resistor, a thyristor and a nonpolar capacitor, which further includes light emitting diode (LED) drive coils that are respectively installed on the output lines of the thyristor and the nonpolar capacitor, to thereby detect operating states of the transducers, and to thus enable a user to confirm whether or not the transducers operate at a normal state through light emitting diodes (LEDs).
The transducers are fixedly combined at one side of a cover, through predetermined coupling units, using flanges at a place where a magnetodistortion conversion element around which a wire is wound and a waveguide that transfers ultrasonic waves are connected.
The other side of the cover is fixedly combined with a support.
A rear-surface cover is formed on the support, to thus prevent combustible and explosive gas from infiltrating into the inside of the transducers.
The ultrasonic wave generating apparatus includes: a main body having an explosion-preventive-preventive unit that maintains a differential pressure between the inner and outer portions of the main body, using a differential pressure switch into a pressure of 100 kPa, to thereby control combustible and explosive gas to be prevented from infiltrating into the inside of the transducers, an electric power supply that supplies electric voltage necessary for generation of ultrasonic waves, and a resonance unit that makes transducers generate ultrasonic waves, based on the received electric power source, and a controller that is configured as a printed circuit board (PCB) so as to control an operating condition of the resonance unit; and transducers that generate ultrasonic waves by half-wave voltage that has been applied by the resonance unit, to thereby remove scale or foreign matters in a facility.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a transducer 10 of a conventional ultrasonic wave generating apparatus. The transducer 10 is attached by weld on a place whose surface is smoothly grinded. In the transducer 10, a wire 12 is wound around a magnetodistortion conversion element 11. If electric pulse current is supplied through the wire, the magnetodistortion conversion element 11 generates minute oscillation by a magnetic field formed around the wire 12, to thereby prevent foreign matters such as scale or slime from being produced in a facility. The electric pulse current is applied from a resonance unit of the main body. The wire 12 is made of a material that endures voltage of 1000V, and temperature of −190°□+260°, and the magnetodistortion conversion element 11 is connected to a waveguide 13 that conveys ultrasonic waves to a target object.
The magnetodistortion conversion element 11 is made of a material of nickel, iron-cobalt alloy, iron-aluminum alloy, etc. A cover 14 is formed to surround the outside of the transducer 10, in order to be suitable for an explosion-preventive structure. The magnetodistortion conversion element 11 that is connected with the waveguide 13 is fixedly combined on one side of the cover 14 through coupling units 16 such as bolts using a flange 15. The other side of the cover 14 is fixedly combined with a support 17. A rear cover 18 is formed on the support 17, to thus prevent combustible and explosive gas from infiltrating into the inside of the transducer 10. Even in the case that combustible and explosive gas infiltrates into the inside of the transducer 10 to thus cause a fire to break out, the transducer 10 is implemented adaptively to the explosion-preventive structure so that flames do not come out of the transducer 10.
The principle of the ultrasonic wave generating apparatus will be simply described below.
According as time passes, foreign matters such as a considerable amount of scale or slime is produced in pipes in the case that a lot of devices and apparatuses, especially piping facilities are installed in general equipment. An ultrasonic wave generator is used for preventing foreign matters such as scale or slime from being produced in a pipe as well as removing the same from the pipe. Here, a transducer that is connected with the ultrasonic wave generator is fixed by weld on a surface of the general equipment or the pipe that is involved with the general equipment, so that ultrasonic waves are transferred into the inside of the equipment or pipe. Accordingly, the foreign matters such as the scale or slime that has been produced in the equipment or pipe are removed or suppressed from being produced.
The ultrasonic waves that remove the foreign matters such as the scale or slime that has been produced in the equipment or pipe or suppress the same from being produced therein, represent oscillation of sound that has energy that is strong as high frequency waves that are not recognized by person's ear. The ultrasonic waves generate strong oscillation with extremely high sound. Such oscillation of sound has a strong force that shakes a material. Accordingly, if ultrasonic waves are generated below a container containing water, the energy of the ultrasonic waves is strong enough to make spray, and a medium that exists along a path of the ultrasonic waves is partially heated. In addition, since ultrasonic waves have strong tensile forces, small bubbles are generated and burst as cavitation in liquid. Accordingly, a material that receives ultrasonic waves undergoes a mechanical function or a chemical change, because of strong instantaneous pressures and explosion phenomena of several tens of atmospheres that have been generated by the cavitation. As a result, even a material that is difficult to be emulsified is minutely pulverized, to thus be made into stable emulsion.
However, the conventional ultrasonic wave generating apparatus has the following defects and shortcomings.
Firstly, in view of the circuit arrangement of the case of the conventional ultrasonic wave generating apparatus, it is difficult to increase the number of transducer channels additionally. Thus, the conventional ultrasonic wave generating apparatus has a shortcoming that it is difficult to configure a system in an economic efficiency adaptively to an installation place or model.
Secondly, since the conventional ultrasonic wave generating apparatus may be cracked or broken at the portions of the coupling units of the waveguide, it has a problem that the number of after-services is enlarged or there are many returns frequently due to operational stop.
Thirdly, in the case of the conventional ultrasonic wave generating apparatus, there is a need to protect a thyristor from transient voltage that occurs by circuit inductance in the ultrasonic wave generating apparatus. In addition, light emitting diode lamps that instruct operating states of transducers receive electric power voltage from induced voltage of the transducers, but there is a need to newly design an electric power supply circuit so that the light emitting diode lamps directly receive electric power voltage from an electric power supply.